DISSERTATION PROJECT

Beyond Eurocentric Modernity:
Religious Temporalities and Future Imaginations in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Korea

Scholars often distinguish between linear, cyclical, and spiral models of time; yet no culture or tradition can be reduced to a single temporal pattern. Examining how historical actors envisioned the future makes this plurality especially visible, as future-oriented discourse draws together different understandings of how time flows. Approaching such future imaginaries in East Asia helps move beyond modernocentric narratives of linear time and reveals the coexistence and interaction of multiple temporalities.

This study investigates how different religious and national groups linked their own religious and political futures to Korea and constructed its place in a changing global order. Focusing on the period between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries allows for close observation of the complex dynamics among diverse religious groups (Buddhist, Christian, Chŏndogyo (天道敎), and Neo-Confucian) and among different nations (Korea, Japan, China, and Western imperial powers).

By showing that three distinct temporal models coexisted within each religious group, the study demonstrates that temporal imaginaries were not confined to binaries such as linear versus cyclical, modern versus premodern, or Western versus non-Western. This internal plurality resonates with a second, broader field of interaction: how Korea’s future was envisioned by multiple nations during the era often labeled modernization. Thus understood, although colonial pressures deeply shaped Korea’s future, Korea also functioned as a stage for wider transregional entanglements.

To examine these dynamics, the study combines text mining of future-related vocabulary in religious journals (1890s–1920s) with qualitative analysis of missionary writings, royal edicts, and key texts produced within each religious group. Taken together, these materials illuminate the plurality of futures envisioned in Korea and their capacity to challenge—and at times complement—prevailing accounts of modernity in East Asia.